


You Don't Have to be Alone

by miraculousstorytelling



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Christmas Fluff, Fluff, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-25
Updated: 2016-12-25
Packaged: 2018-09-12 03:07:50
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,718
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9052747
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/miraculousstorytelling/pseuds/miraculousstorytelling
Summary: When Marinette learns Adrien won't be able to spend Christmas with his father, she takes it upon herself to make sure he isn't alone for Christmas.





	

**Author's Note:**

> Written for the mlsecretsanta exchange on tumblr for heyo-cherrio.
> 
> Thanks to ladyserendipitous for idea bouncing with me!

"Hey, Marinette!"

Marinette almost froze in place when Adrien's familiar voice sounded from behind. She turned to see him approach her, and she smiled, a blush already rising to her cheeks. "A-Adrien! Hi!"

Alya watched with a small smirk from beside her, glancing at Nino with a knowing look as he trailed behind Adrien.

"Now that finals are pretty much over, I had a favor to ask." Adrien smiled, tugging his blue scarf just a bit tighter. "I wanted to commission you to make something for my father for Christmas."

Marinette's jaw dropped as the color drained from her face. "You...what? For your father? For...for Gabriel Agreste?" Not that she doubted her ability to make something incredible, but the idea of making something for her long-time idol was daunting.

Alya mouthed a quick question to Nino. "Did you do this?"

Nino shook his head with a grin.

Adrien nodded. "He was really impressed by your bowler hat, and I want to give him something great after my birthday gift."

Marinette smiled. "O-Okay. I'd be happy to help!"

"Thanks!" He glanced over her shoulder at the limo that had just pulled up. "Sorry, I need to get home. Can I call you? We can set up a time to brainstorm something and talk about cost."

"Oh, d-don't worry about the cost!" She waved a hand and grinned. "Do you need my number?"

"I already have it." He patted her shoulder as he rushed by her. "We'll talk later!"

"Y-yeah. Later." Marinette's voice trailed off as her brain short-circuited at the brief contact.

Alya hugged her the instant Adrien's car door closed. "That. Was. Amazing! Girl, he is into you!"

Marinette nearly toppled over and laughed as Alya's hair tickled her cheek. "No, you think? I-I mean, he's just asking for something to give his dad..."

Nino chuckled. "Yeah, for his fashion designer dad." He shrugged. "At least he definitely knows you've got the skill to do it."

Marinette squealed. "Alya, this is incredible! Plus we'll get to spend a bunch of time together and..." Her grip on Alya's arm tightened. "Together. In my room."

"Way ahead of you." Alya laughed, waving a quick goodbye to Nino. "Come on, let's do some redecorating."

 

By the time Adrien called, Marinette's room was in a state of disarray. She'd taken down all evidence of her posters and pictures, reluctantly packing them away. Alya had promised to help her decorate tomorrow, but for now, the bare walls and half-filled boxes were a discouraging sight. She scrambled to find her phone when it started ringing, finally tugging it out from under a pile of fabric.

"Hello?" she answered, out of breath.

"Hey, Marinette! It's Adrien!"

She froze. "A-Adrien! Hi!"

"I just looked at my schedule, and I have a few hours free on Friday. Do you have time to meet then?"

"Of course!" Even if she didn't, she'd find a way to free up her schedule. "Do you, um... know what you want? S-so I can come up with some sketches, I mean."

Tikki smiled up at her encouragingly as Marinette fidgeted with a half-finished skirt on her desk.

"Well, maybe some winter clothes? He doesn't really wear hats, but..."

"Maybe some gloves?" she offered, setting aside her work in progress and tugging out a sketchbook. "I could knit some with a nice pattern."

"That sounds great!" Without even seeing him, she knew he was smiling, and the thought warmed her heart.

"Okay," her confidence returned as she sat down to sketch out ideas. "Friday, then. I'll have some ideas ready."

"Thanks. You're a lifesaver."

She blushed. "O-oh, um, thank you. I'm..."

"See you Friday." He finished for her, voice warm.

"Yeah. Friday." Marinette hung up and stared at the phone in shock.

"That was wonderful, Marinette!" Tikki chirped, floating beside her.

"I just talked to Adrien. And it was okay." Marinette's voice was hushed as she spoke.

"I knew you could do it!" Tikki nuzzled her cheek gently.

Marinette grinned. "Thanks, Tikki."

 

By the time Friday arrived, Marinette had seven sketches and five pages full of various patterns and special stitches she could incorporate, depending on what Adrien liked.

He arrived ten minutes early, and Marinette rushed him upstairs before her parents could send him up with an armful of treats from the shop.

"Wow, your room looks nice." He looked around at the pictures she'd hung up on her walls. A few featured him, but Alya had helped ensure they were balanced out with other pictures of friends. Still, Marinette was pleased to note his small smile when he saw them. "Where did you get this one?" He indicated a picture where he and Nino were doubled over in laughter, sitting on the park bench with lunch abandoned beside them.

"Alya," she answered. "She could probably get you a copy if you want."

"Yeah. I'd love one." He sent her a grin. "Most of my pictures lately are from photo shoots. It's nice to see something casual."

She nodded, barely restraining herself from waxing poetic about how he looked so much better when he was actually smiling or how the sun caught his hair just perfectly in that picture or how every time she looked at it, her stomach filled with butterflies.

After all, Alya had already endured her dreamy rant yesterday. Better to spare Adrien.

"I have some sketches!" She darted over to her desk to flip to the pages with her ideas. "Why don't you tell me which ones you like?"

He looked them over, flipping between pages and pausing at one in particular. "What about this one?"

She peered over his shoulder, trying not to be so acutely aware of how close they were. "That one was my favorite, too. I thought I could use another one for the..." She reached over to flip to the next page. She paused when her hand accidentally brushed over his. "O-oh, sorry. Um." She indicated a snowflake pattern, trying to hide the pink coloring her cheeks. "This could be the sleeve, maybe."

"Oh, yeah!" He nodded. "That would look great!"

She stepped back. "W-Well, great!"

"So, how much do I owe you?"

"Oh, please." She waved a hand. "Don't worry about that."

"No, I'm commissioning you, so I should pay you." He frowned. "How much?"

"I already have the yarn, and it gives me an excuse to practice. I haven't done any knitting in a while."

"I'm not leaving until you tell me how much I owe you."

_Oh no. How horrible._ She fought the urge to chuckle at her own reaction. "Didn't you say you have a photo shoot in a couple hours?"

He nodded. "You wouldn't make me late, would you?"

She raised a brow, her nerves fading a bit as her stubborn streak took over. "I wouldn't dream of it. I'm happy to give you directions."

"I'll take them after you give me a price."

"Fine. One euro."

"Don't be ridiculous. This is handmade."

She folded her arms over her chest. "I won't take anything more."

"If you don't give me a quote, I'll pay you one hundred euros."

She gasped. "What?! That's way too much!"

"Then, make me a reasonable offer."

"Okay, okay. Twenty-five euros."

"Thirty."

She frowned. "That's too much."

"Twenty-five is too little." He shook his head. "Thirty or nothing."

"I'll take nothing."

He laughed. "I walked right into that one, didn't I?"

She chuckled and nodded.

"Fine. Twenty-five it is."

"Thank you."

"Plus a thank you gift. How does dinner sound?"

She nearly choked on her answer, staring at him for a moment to gauge whether or not he was serious. "U-umm. Sure! Yeah! Actually, just dinner is fine! Or...or both. Yes." She busied herself with gathering her supplies, rummaging around for her double pointed knitting needles. "When would you like it done?"

His smile fell. "Oh. Well, whenever you finish is fine. There's a big fashion event in Milan. Father will probably be busy all day on Christmas."

"What?" She turned, paling as she saw his expression. "Really? He's working on Christmas?"

Adrien shrugged. "He's always working."

She frowned. "I'm sorry."

He checked his phone and sighed. "I have to go. Sorry." He managed a weak smile. "Thanks, Marinette. Let me know when it's done."

"Sure. I'll, um, walk you out."

This time, she didn't stop her parents when they packed Adrien a bag full of sweets. In fact, she helped them top it off with a cup of hot chocolate.

 

"I can't believe this! He's too busy for his own son?" Marinette paced, clutching the phone tighter as she spoke. "Alya, what should I do?"

"Throw a snowball at him," Alya said, chuckling softly. "I don't know. Have you tried talking to him?"

"You saw what happened when Nino tried that."

"Yeah, okay, you have a point there."

"But, he's going to be alone on Christmas."

Alya sighed. "I'm sure Chloe will invite him once she finds out."

Marinette scoffed. "He'd be better off alone."

Alya laughed, then paused. "Oh, Mom's calling me. I have to go. Call me later, okay?"

"Okay." Marinette sighed and flopped back into her chair. Seconds later, she straightened and grinned. Grabbing a few sheets of stationery on the way, she rushed downstairs. She had some planning to do.

 

"Um, excuse me. I'm a classmate of Adrien's? I wanted to talk to his father. Just for a minute."

Nathalie scrutinized her through the screen. "Mr. Agreste is busy."

"I-I know. It's just a minute. Please."

"I can ask him." Nathalie briefly tapped at her tablet to contact Gabriel. "One of Adrien's friends is asking for you."

"I'm busy." Gabriel answered, short as ever.

"It won't take long!" Marinette insisted over the loudspeaker.

He sighed, brows drawn. "Let her in."

Marinette jumped when the gates creaked open. Rather than guess what changed his mind, she rushed in and met Adrien's father in the entry way to his home.

"Yes, Ms. Dupain-Cheng?"

She took a steadying breath and looked up at him. "I understand that you're very busy this Christmas, but I wanted to invite you and Adrien to Christmas dinner. Our family has a really great meal planned, and we'd love for you to join us.

"I completely understand you have a lot to do. I just know how important it is to be around people you care about on Christmas, and Adrien's a really good friend. We would love to have him over if you can't make it, but we'd be thrilled to have both of you join us." She smiled. "Thanks very much for seeing me, Mr. Agreste."

He listened quietly, his flat expression never wavering while she spoke. "Thank you for the invitation. I'll speak with Adrien."

"Thank you. And, um, if you don't make it, I hope you have a merry Christmas!" She turned to go before she could unleash some of her frustration and potentially ruin the good impression she hoped she'd made. Who knew? Maybe he'd even listen to her and spend time with Adrien or even join them for dinner.

Gabriel was quiet for a long moment. Then, he tugged out his tablet. "Nathalie, clear Adrien's schedule for December 25th."

 

"I'm...what?" Adrien stared at his father, hardly believing what he'd heard.

"The Dupain-Cheng family has invited us to dinner for Christmas. You'll be spending the day with them."

"Really?" Adrien grinned. "Thank you! This is wonderful!" He paused. "Are you...coming to dinner, too?"

"With the current situation, that would be out of the question." Gabriel frowned. "I'll have Nathalie provide appropriate gifts for the family to bring with you."

"Oh." He was torn between disappointment and excitement that he'd be with Marinette's family for Christmas. "Thank you."

"Speak to Nathalie if you'd like something specific, and I'm sure she'll take care of it."

"Of course." Adrien nodded politely while Gabriel left. He smiled. It wasn't quite the same as dinner with his mother and father, but at least he wouldn't be alone.

"We're going to a bakery for Christmas? Why couldn't you be friends with a kid who lives over a cheese shop?" Plagg peered out to whine up at him.

"Sorry, I'll only make friends with people who smell like Camembert from now on." Adrien rolled his eyes.

"That's all I'm asking."

Well, as alone as he could be with a gluttonous kwami anyway.

 

"Mama! Where's Adrien's present?"

Sabine smiled patiently. "It's on your desk, Marinette."

Footsteps raced up the stairs, and Marinette sighed. "Thank you!" She snatched up the gift and carried it down to the small pile they'd arranged for gift exchanges after Adrien arrived. He promised to arrive midday, and Marinette had spent most of the morning in some degree of panic. "He should be here any minute!"

"It's only 10:30."

Marinette groaned. "What? But, it's been hours!"

"It's been ten minutes."

 

"I said around midday. I can show up a little early," Adrien insisted.

"The driver will drop you off at 12:00," Nathalie explained for the fifteenth time in a row. "Please be patient." While her tone was flat, her eyes were sympathetic. She sent another surreptitious email to Gabriel suggesting that Adrien leave a little early.

Adrien sighed and trudged back to his room.

 

Marinette swiveled in her chair, staring up at the ceiling and trying to focus on anything that wouldn't lead to thinking about Adrien and her nerves and all of the ways today could go horribly wrong. After all, what if he was allergic to the cookies she'd made with her father last night? What if he swelled up and they had to rush him to the hospital and Adrien hated her and everyone at school was mad at her and-

"Marinette!"

She jumped at the sound of her father's voice. "Yes, Papa?"

"You have a visitor!"

Marinette fell off her chair.

 

"Thank you so much, Nathalie." Adrien grinned and collected the bag of gifts for his friend and her family. "I couldn't wait any longer."

She nodded. "It was your father's decision."

They both knew that meant she'd convinced him to change his mind.

He waved as they drove off, and he hurried to the door. Before he could push it open, Marinette was flinging it open and grinning. "Hey, Adrien!"

He smiled. "Hey, Marinette!"

"Come in!"

She took the bag of gifts from him and led him upstairs. "S-so, how was Christmas Eve?"

"Well, it was just me and my dad. Nathalie had the night off."

"But she's working today?" she asked, ushering him through the front door to their living space.

"It's a busy day in fashion, apparently."

Marinette didn't miss the bitter tone to his voice as he spoke, and she silently promised herself that she'd keep him happy for the rest of the day. "It's even busier here." She took his coat and scarf. "You're going to be working hard."

"I am?" he asked, raising a brow.

"Oh, we didn't tell you?" She hung them up in the small coat closet near the front door. "We're decorating gingerbread houses today. Loser has to do the dishes after dinner."

He chuckled. "Oh, really?"

"And then there's taste testing cookies."

"Sounds terrible."

"And singing Christmas carols together."

He hesitated. "I'm...not the best singer."

She leaned in. "Neither is Papa, but we just sing over him."

Adrien laughed, and Marinette grinned, warmth flooding her chest. She'd gladly make a fool of herself for the rest of her life just to keep him laughing. "You...just ignore it?"

She nodded. "Mama thinks it's sweet. He serenades her sometimes."

"Well, it sounds pawful so far."

She snickered. "Did you just say pawful?"

He blushed. "No, I..." He ducked his head. "Okay, yes. I've been watching too many Chat Noir videos on the Ladyblog, I guess."

"It's okay." She smiled and led him into the small kitchen. "Just don't let my dad catch you or we'll have a pun-off."

"I think I can take your dad."

Marinette sent him the tiniest smirk as she shook her head. "It's not him you have to worry about."

He paused, brows raised. "Wait, you...?"

"Oh, I forgot the most important job." She peeked in the oven. "We have to decorate the Christmas cookies!"

He leaned on the small countertop behind her. "I'm not the best at decorating either."

She shrugged. "Well, I can teach you a little if you want. I have to make a few Ladybug and Chat Noir ones. I promised Alya."

"Really?" He perked up. "Ladybug cookies?"

She added a few minutes to the timer. "Oh. You're a Ladybug fan?" In spite of her heart hammering in her chest, Marinette felt she did a fantastic job keeping her tone level.

"Who isn't?"

"Hmmm..." She turned to face him. "Hawkmoth?"

"Okay, besides Hawkmoth."

"Lila."

He frowned. "Well, okay. But, you're a Ladybug fan, right?"

She smiled. "Yeah, of course. Ladybug and Chat Noir are amazing."

"Oh, you're a Chat Noir fan?" Though he tried to stay calm, Adrien couldn't help his voice rising in pitch as he asked. "I had no idea."

_I'm more of an Adrien Agreste fan_. She was a breath away from admitting it, and she quickly turned to retrieve bags of frosting from the fridge, biting back that potentially embarrassing confession. "Well, he does a lot for Paris. I think he's pretty great, too. Ladybug isn't the only one protecting us."

"Oh..." He smiled, secretly thrilled by the praise. "Yeah, when you put it that way."

"Mm-hm." She glanced over at him. "You aren't...allergic to anything besides feathers, are you?"

"No." He was quietly impressed she remembered the one allergy he did have.

"Okay, good."

 

Adrien managed to get more icing on himself than on the cookies in the end.

"I told you I wasn't really good at this."

Marinette shook her head. "It's fine. It's all about taste." She picked up one cookie that had a glob of pink icing very unevenly distributed over the surface and took a bite. "Mmm! It's delicious!"

He reluctantly picked up a cookie with green frosting piled on perhaps a bit too thick. Still, his eyes lit up when he bit into it. "This is good!"

They ate a few more of Adrien's cookies while they packaged some of Marinette's for Alya to retrieve later on. Somehow, during the eating process Adrien managed to get even more frosting all over himself.

"I'm sorry..." Marinette was trying not to laugh at him. "You...you have frosting in your _hair_. How did you do that?"

"I what?" Adrien sighed. "That must have been the green frosting bag that exploded."

"Yes, because you had too much air in it. I warned you." She pulled out a rag and ran it under some water. "Hold still. I'll get it out."

He sat so she could easily access his head, and she dabbed at the icing with the damp rag. Of course, it wasn't until halfway through the process that she realized how close they were and how easily she was touching him and talking to him. In fact, she hadn't stuttered once since she'd pulled the cookies out of the oven.

"S-sorry. I'll, umm..." Her hands shook as she gently removed the last of it. "It's gone now."

"Thanks, Marinette."

She blushed, returning to the sink to rinse off the rag. "Of course!"

"That was really _sweet_ of you."

She paused and turned to stare at him. "Did you really just..."

 

"It's time for dinner!" Sabine's voice called them down after the two had gone upstairs to play some Ultimate Mecha Strike III.

"Thanks, Mama!" Marinette completed her combo move and shouted. "Just in time to keep my winning streak!"

Adrien slumped back in the spare chair she'd provided. "How did you do that?"

"Lots of practice." She stood and stretched. "Let's go! It's time to eat!" Then, her eyes fell over a small package tucked beside her sketchbooks. "Oh, I forgot! I finished your father's gift."

He sighed. "Oh. Thanks."

She held it out to him. "I wrapped it for you."

"Thank you."

"Don't tell him, but..." She giggled. "I packed some snowflake confetti inside."

His eyes widened. "You... No, you didn't."

She nodded. "I did."

He laughed.

 

Adrien carried the gift downstairs, finally smiling again, which made the prank worthwhile. She was sure Adrien would repackage the gift without the confetti, but for now, they could giggle over it together and only imagine how Gabriel Agreste would react to a shower of snowflake confetti.

Both of them froze on the steps when they heard a sharp knock at the door.

"Oh, Adrien, would you mind getting that?" Sabine asked, setting a plate on the table. A table set for five.

Marinette raised a brow. "You want Adrien to answer the door?"

"Yes. You need to help finish setting the table."

"Are we expecting someone else?" Marinette asked.

Adrien set the gift aside and walked over to the front door, a bit cautious. Surely it was unusual to have a guest answer the door. The look Marinette sent him confirmed it.

Still, he dutifully opened the door and gasped when he saw who was waiting. "Father?"

Sure enough, Gabriel Agreste stood in the hallway, looking as stiff and formal as ever with a box of fine chocolates in hand. "Merry Christmas, Adrien."

He stepped back to allow his father inside. "I didn't think you were coming."

Marinette stared. "Mr. Agreste!" Then, she smiled. "You made it." She glanced over at her parents. "Did you know?"

Tom nodded, and Sabine smiled. "We wanted to surprise you."

Adrien frowned. "Why did you tell me you couldn't make it?"

"I wasn't sure until this morning, and I didn't want to disappoint you." He closed the door behind him. "I spoke to Mr. Dupain earlier, and he suggested I surprise you for dinner."

Adrien could hardly believe his luck. For weeks, he'd expected to be alone for Christmas, mourning his missing mother and wishing he was with his family again. Instead, he was surrounded by people who cared about him, and his father had take time away from work to share dinner with him. Blinking back a rush of tears, Adrien pulled his father into a hug and smiled. "Merry Christmas, Father."


End file.
